No Tail lights or brake lights 1948 Ford F-1

[48bill]

My 48 F-1's  tail lights, marker light and brake lights do not come on.  The directional flasher does work and the marker light weakly flashes with them.  

The F-1 has been on the road for 10 years with a Centech wiring harnes and a SIGNAL STAT 900 turn signal switch.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the help.

[wayne petty]

i take it that this truck is a negative ground system...  but this test works either way...

sounds like you have lost the ground between the battery and the body/frame

got a digital volt meter  set it to 20 volts DC

turn the head lights on.... start the motor ... this test can only be done with a load on the circuits...

this test takes less than 2 minutes to do... and is what the professional electric repair guys do first...  works on all cars...  computerized cars really need this test done first...

measure between the negative battery post... and the engine block...
you should have less than 0.05 volts...

measure between the negative battery post and the body of the truck...

you should have less than 0.02 volts..

if you get a higher reading... you have a bad ground


take a long piece of wire...  strip back about 3 inches...   wrap that around the base of the bulb...   where the glass meets the brass...

run the other end over to the negative battery post... see if that light starts working properly again...


post what meter readings you get...

post what happens when you ground a single bulb out back...

[48bill]

I went to Radio Shack and bought a meter.  

Readings were .01 at engine block and .02 on the body.

Wrapping the wire around the bulb and hooking the other end to the negative post got the lights to work.  My problem is a bad ground.  Old pickup trucks and Northeast rust.  I'll clean the grounds and run a good one from the frame to the bed.

Thanks for your help.

[48bill]

Ran seperarte grounds from each taillite to the frame.  All fixed for now.....

Thanks for the help.

[UGLY OLDS]

That Wayne guy is one smart feller  :!:    

Bob.......

[Carnut]

It is really nice to have that Wayne guy around.

[enjenjo]

It is really nice to have that Wayne guy around.

I hope he know how much he is appreciated.